Arsenal starlet Alex Iwobi has revealed that his uncle, former Bolton man Jay-Jay Okocha, asked for one of his playing shirts.
Iwobi has suddenly become a key offensive option for Arsene Wenger since the start of this campaign and has really impressed when take up central positions, from which he has been executing shrewd balls through his opposition.
The 20-year-old, who made his first team debut in October of last year, has been keeping Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out of the side over the last month and recent performances are likely to see him retain his place for Arsenal’s encounter with Middlesbrough on Saturday.
“He was at my house the other day and when he was asking me for my shirt, I was confused,” Iwobi told Arsenal’s official website.
“I thought it was a joke at first and then my dad got out one of my old jerseys and gave it to him. He said, ‘I’m going to treasure this’ and I was like ‘Wow, it used to be the other way around’.
“For it to be like that, it was a moment I enjoyed, but it was crazy. I was always looking up to my uncle. Everyone knew that my uncle played for Bolton and he was a very big figure in Africa as well. He doesn’t just help me on the pitch, he helps me off the pitch, which is a key thing for me.”
Okocha was a fantastically gifted player with an array of skills and impeccable ball control, and also played for the likes of Paris Saint Germain and Fenerbahce before coming to England.
If Iwobi turns out to be of the same level as his uncle then Arsenal will have a creative force at their disposal for years to come.
The Nigerian and Mesut Ozil have shown that they can interchange position freely and to good effect, with the German sometimes drawing wider while trying to exploit teams.
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